Connecter for rails



Nov. 12, 1929. A. WESTON CONNECTER FOR RAILS Filed Aug. 23, 1927 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 12 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFI-cn ADOLF WESTON, on LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA CONNECTER ro'n' RAILS? Application filed August 23, 1927. Serial Ito. 214,908.

My invention relates toconnecters for rails, andparticularly, although not necessarily, to connectersfor the rails of beds.

A purpose of my invention is the pro 5. vision ota bed rail connecter which is characterizedby its structural simplicity, low cost oit manufacture, ready applicability to i the conventional bed rails and posts, and eflec tiveness 1n maintaimng the ad] acentends of a pair of bed'rails connected to each other and to a 'bed postin a manner to fixedly secure themagainst movement relatively" and yet permit the easy detaching thereof as-required When-'dismounting the bfidq' II 'Will'ClGSCIibQCl only one form: of bed rail connector embodying. my invention and will:

then point out the novel features in claims.

F 1g; 1 isa- View ShOWIDg'III perspective one form of connector embodying; my invention in: appliedfposition to the. railslal d one-post of a bedand with the elementsthereot detached from each} other; and I a Fig. 2 is a Viewsimilarto-Figl with th elements of the connecterin: connected position.'-

Referring; specifically to the; drawings; my-

invention; in its present embodiment comrprises two main elements designated generallyrat and E", theelementE beingadapted torconneetion-to a bed post) Band to'lan endf railwR, whilethe element E is: adapted for connection to-a' side rail Rt, it being under-:

stood that the rails R; and R are'conventionalparts of a bed. frame;

The element E, in the present" instance, compriseszaplate 15 0f metal or other suitable material secured t0 oneside of thebed post- B by means of screws l-ti extending through the plate and-into the post at intervals along 405 the length thereof. This plate 1'5 is-elongated in tormand is slightlyless in Widththanthat of the betbpost. Along its outer Verticaledge;

the plateis provided at spaced-pointswith upwardly extending hook membersl fiandyl8 havin'gg rounded, outeredges, as illustrated,

for the purposeof facilitating their insertion intoslots of the element E and for another purpose to be described hereinafter.

s V di cent-the hook member 18 the rail R'is secured to'the plate 1 5by meansof a screw 19 while so;

above" the hook member 18 and between i the latter and the member 17 is a headed projec tion 20in the form ofa'screw and henoe aidjiista-ble in the p'late 15 to vary the spacing of 'the: screw head withrrespectto the surface 555 of the plate). v

The element E is constructed from arrel as tively short length oiiangle iron so asto provide portions 21' and 22 disposed at right secured toth'e 'rail'Rf by means ofscrews 23 and insuch manner that 'thBWZIldz of the rail is in abuttingrelation toz the'oportion 22. At its pointof:connectionwith the portion 21, the

portion 22- is pnovide'd with verticalslots 24 and 25: disposed at oppositesides-ot the-rail R" and positioned: tol receive theQ hook members 17 and 18, respectively. Beneath the horizontal portionof the rail' R the-portion 22 is reduoedinwidth,as'indi-cated'at 22-, in order that the portion may be accommodated betweenthe rail-R- and the lower hook meni ber 18 when the element E is-"inappliedpo- 'sitio'n on the element E. 1

By the reduced port-ion 22' aright angle shoulder'22 is formed at the upper end ofthe? I reduced portion which is fihsh'with the under,

bertoengageitheelement E5 at the inner'side of the portion 22 so as to lie contiguous to the inner side of the portion 21. The element E may be forced downwardly until the screw 20 passes into the recesses 26 and 27 thus causin the portion 22 to engage beneath the head or the screw. In this manner the screw acts to lock the portion 22 against outward movement with respect to the plate 15, and by virtue of its spaced position with respect to the hook members 17 and 18 it will be manifest that it functions to secure the element E against horizontal wabbling movement on the element E. Thus the two elements are fixedly secured to each other against wabbling movement horizontally so that in actual practice movement of the bed rails with respect to each other and to the post B is prevented and as a consequence a rigid bed frame is produced. It will, of course, be understood that the locking function of the screw 20 does not prevent the ready detaching of the element E f cm the element E when it is desired to dismount the bed frame, as the element- E can be readily removed from the hook members 17 and 18 by forcing the element E upwardly untilfree of the hook members and the screw In the connected position of the elements E and E it is important to note that the rail R seats on the lower hook member 18 by reason of a curved edge 28 on the vertical portion of the rail R. The curvature of this edge corresponds to that of the outer edge of'the hook member 18 so that in the connected position of the elements E and E the hook member coacts with the rail R in limiting the downward movement of the element E on the element E so as to relieve the screw 20 of undue strain or stress and yet permit the screw to perform its locking function.

By virtue of the fact that the head projection 90 is adjustable in the plate 15, the spacing of the screw head can be varied as required to accommodate elements E having portions 22 of different thicknesses, and'in a mannerto cause the head of the screw to eifectively'secure the element against horizontal wabbling movement. As a consequence, with four connecters constructed in accordance with my invention applied to .the four corners of a bed frame, a strong and rigid frame is produced with the rails firmly held in right angular relation and yet cap able of being readily detached from each other when required.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of connector for rails embodying my invention, it is to "be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 7 r

1. In combination, an element adapted to be secured to a bed post and having spaced hook members thereon, a second element having slots receiving the hook members, a bed rail secured to the second element and havinga portion adapted to seat on one of said hook members, when the two elements are connected to each other, and coacting means on the elements for detachably securing the latter to each other in a relation to the hook members to secure the latter against wabbling movement in said slots.

2. In combination, an element adapted to be secured to a bed post and having spaced hook members thereon, a second element of angular form having slots spaced to receive the hook members so as to be supported on the first element by said members, said slots being adjacent the corner of the second element so that the hook members when within the slots will be contiguous to that surface of the element disposed at an angle to the first element, means on the confronting surfaces of the elements coacting to retain the hook members against horizontal wabbling movement in respect to the second element, and a bed rail secured to the second element and constructed to seat on the lower hook member in the manner and for the purpose deinto the said recesses and engaged with the second element in a manner to coact with the hook members in securing the two elements against wabbling movement.

4. In combination, an element adapted to be secured to a bed post and to a bed rail, a pair of hook members on the element, one of which isadjacent but spaced from the confronting end of the said bed rail, a second element having slots receiving the hook members and reduced in width to provide a transverse shoulder between the ends thereof and a relatively narrow portion below said shoulder, said narrow portion being received between the said hook member and the confronting. end of said bed rail, a bed rail secured to the second element and having one end adjacent and above said shoulder, recesses in the said rail end and transverse shoulder, and a headed member on the first element between and laterally of the hook members to pass into the said recesses and engage the second element in a manner to secure the two elements against wabbling movement.

7 5. A combination as'embodied in claim t wherein said bed rail end is provided with ADOLF WESTON. 

